Give Trump a chance
I read “Trump presidency is undeniable” (Nov. 17), and felt compelled to respond. By way of background, my father was born in Jerusalem in 1903 and came to this country in the 1920s. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi, but practiced for only one year in Passaic. Thereafter, he was principal of a Hebrew school and a cantor at Congregation Sons of Israel in Asbury Park from 1930 until 1955. His brother Isaac remained in Israel and my cousins lived in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where the family still resides.
The reason I lay all of this out is that I am a Jew who proudly supports President-elect Trump in spite of all of his warts, many of which Mr. Kahn described, for the umpteenth time, in the article. I’m sure NJJN is aware of Trump’s relationship with Jews and Judaism; Ivanka converted to Judaism and married an Orthodox Jew. Their children are being raised as Jews. If you fact check Mr. Trump’s record, you will find that he is a supporter of Jewish causes and the State of Israel, and that he employs many Jews within his company at the highest levels. Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomes his election, as he should, given President Obama’s strained, pseudo-friendship with Israel. I cannot believe that NJJN thinks that Hillary Clinton would have offered the hope of a brighter future for American-Israeli relations than the president-elect. It also continues to astound me that merely 24 percent of Jews voted for Mr. Trump. Among my friends, the percentage was more than 50 percent.
I suppose the bottom line is, NJJN and your readers should take a deep breath and give Trump a chance. You are in for a pleasant surprise, as are the 76 percent of my Jewish brothers and sisters who voted otherwise.
Neil Reiseman
Ridgewood
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